Improvement in piano-lid props



UNITED S'IATES PATENT FFICE ALEXANDER KIESLING, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-LID PROPS.

Specfication forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,122, datecl June 16, 1874; application filed May 2. 1874.

T0 all -uh0m it ma y concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER KIESLING, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven a-ncl State of C011 necticut, have invented a new Improvement in Piano-Top Prop; and I do hereby decla-re the following, when taken in conneotion with the aooompanying drzmvings and the letters of referenoe 1na-rked thereon, to be a full, elear, ancl exact clesoription of the sa-1ne, ancl whioh said drawings eonstitute part of this speoification, ancl represen'r, i11- Figure 1, a sicle view in the position when the top is clown; ancl in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the same in different positions.

This invention relates to an improvement in the prop to support the top of pianos when opened. These props have usually been arranged by pivoting one end to the inside of the case; then, when requirecl to support the top, tl1ey must be turned up by hancla very great inoom*enienoe for EL single person.

The object of this invention is the construetion of a prop whioh shall be autonrato both in opening and closing the pianotop, so tS not to require any manipulation save the sirnple raising of the top; and the invention consists in forming an angular slot in the prop, ro work a-round the stationary fulernm, oomlined with a spring to force the prop into the various positions 011 the nlcrum, as more fully hereinafter deseribed.

A is the prop, of subst-mxtally the usual form (1-, the 'ulerum, in substuntiully the usua-l position. At the point where the prop is attached to the fuloru1n I form u Vsl1aped slot, d e, one side, d, of the V beino; substantially parallel to the umler edge of the prop, the angle toward the free end, as seen in Fig. 1. Beneath t-he prop is a hearing, B, upon whioh the lower eclge of the prop rests when the top is closecl, and 'orwa-rd of tlre prop is a spring, C, whiol1 bears tl1e prop ba-okward, so

that wlren elosed the fulcrum en will be at the extreme forward end of the part d of the slot, as seen in Fig. 1. The spring O bears down upon the prop orward of the 'ulcrum; henee, when the top is raised, tl1e prop will rise with it, turning upon the fulerurn to the position in Fig. 2, the heel of the prop striking a bearing, 1), there resting. \Vl1en the top is let clown upon the upper end of the prop, it will slide down until t-he angle of the slot reaohes tl1e fulorum, as in Fig. 3, there to rest and support the top.

When it is clesired to close the top, raise it so as to tuke the weight from the prop, when the spring will force tl1e prop backward, the slot 6 passing over the 'nlorum, the heel held by the hearing D to the position in Fig. 4; then close the top, und in its descent it will press down the prop, wl1ioh, in its desoent, strikes tl1e hearing B, whiel1 foroes up the heel of t=he prop, tl1e slot 0 passing orer the fuloru1n to the position in lig. 5; then the spring foroes the prop baokward, bringing it to its position of rest, as seen in Fig. 1, ready for the reopening of the top.

In practice, I prefer to inolose tl1e heel of the prop in & oase whioh will contain the bearings B D, tl1e fulornm, and spring, it being more convenient to apply the prop thus construotecl tiran to form t11e bearings and in" range the 'ulorum and spring in the case.

\Vhile clesigned espeoially for pianos, this device is alike applicable for similar purposes.

I claim as my invention- The prop A, provided with the angular slot d 0, oombined with the ulorum a, bearings B D, and spring (J, substantially as set fortl1.

A. KIESLING.

\Vitnesses J OHN E. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY. 

